Ducks!

by Deborah Underwood, T.L. McBeth (Illustrator)

A duck who wanders away from the rest of the flock must find the way back.

Ducks. Ducks? NO DUCKS!

Duck wanders away from the pond for a moment and returns to find the other ducks gone! Searching high and low, Duck discovers many clues around the city--footprints, feathers, eggs--but no ducks. Will Duck's feathered friends finally be found?

Genres: Picture Books, Storytime, Animals, Birds, Childrens, Humor, Fiction

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2020

Reviews

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

First sentence: Ducks!

Premise/plot: This is the story of a distracted duck that loses his family. (He’s distracted by a butterfly). Will this duck find his family? How will he find his family? Will it end in a delightful duck reunion?

My thoughts: I love, love, love this delightfully simple picture book by Deborah Underwood. It’s told in few words, but it doesn’t lack story. The story is familiar and universal. Who cannot relate to this cute, adorable duck?! The story is largely told through the illustrations by T.L. McBeth.

Text: 5/5
Illustrations:5/5
Total: 10/10

[La Coccinelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one more than I thought I might when I first started.

I picked it up because I've enjoyed Deborah Underwood's books in the past. A writing credit for this seems a stretch, though, because the majority of the text consists of "Ducks?" and "No ducks." The illustrations are very simple, but they work.

This is almost a wordless picture book, but it manages to tell a story. A duck is distracted by a butterfly, and when it looks around to find its friends, they're all missing! It then proceeds to search for the missing ducks, only to be thwarted with lookalike clues that lead it momentarily astray. Will the duck ever find its friends?

Very young children will probably appreciate the duck's predicament and its attempt to find its feathered friends. I can see this being a bit tiresome as a read-aloud title (especially if done repeatedly), but it's so simple that even pre-readers can flip through the book themselves and get the gist.

[The Library Lady · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not a big fan of wordless picture books, but here some of the pages are wordless and others have just a few words--or mainly one word: "Ducks!" The combination of the two will make this great for audience participation and for a lot of giggles from that audience. The goofy art is so simple a kid could probably figure out how to reproduce a lot of it, and it's just right with the text. A winner!

[Laurie Hnatiuk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was delighted to spend some time with @mrsh_teacherlife at @mcnallyrobinsonsk sharing our love of books and swapping titles. Ducks by @underwoodwriter is an entertaining surprise and readers young and old are going to LOVE the humour and ending in this book. Duck is in search for you guessed it ducks and just when he thinks he has found some based on various clues it turns out to be something else. Wonderful expressions on duck's face and a great one for inferring, this is one you will want to add to your libraries, classrooms and use for #classroombookaday.

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

A search told in so few words but with so much heart. There are so many promising leads that lead to (sadly) "no ducks." The humor keeps it from getting scary, but everyone is clearly relieved and happy to be reunited at the end.

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Repetitive “Ducks? No ducks!” text tells a surprisingly involved story that requires the reader to follow clues and make inferences. Little duck’s facial expressions are adorable! Perfect for the intended audience

[Tricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is so adorable that I almost wish I still did toddler storytime. Almost.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ducks! by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by T. L. McBeth. PICTURE BOOK. Godwin Books (Macmillan), 2020. $18. 9781250127099

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

After having his attention diverted by a butterfly, a young duck finds himself separated from the other ducks. He tries following squawking sounds and floating feathers, but they are not from his ducks. Finally he finds missing duck posters and is reunited with his group.

I loved the visual humor as the duck tries to find his group and ends up following false leads. That said, the resolution was so incongruent for me that it took away from the humor. Why is a sign the answer and how did the sign get him to his group?

Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher
https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ponds are appealing to most ducks, who enjoy paddling around in the water. But in this picture book, one duck decides to venture further afield and follow a butterfly. When Duck returns to the pond, his friends have all left, and the pond is empty. Duck is no fool, and he follows various clues that seem to indicate the location of the other ducks. But he ends up being disappointed because those clues lead to other things but no ducks. When he spots a missing pet sign on a post, Duck has a brainstorm. Young readers will enjoy the repetitive language of "NO DUCKS" found on several pages as well as the onomatopoeia and simple words. The Adobe Photoshop illustrations are attractive and reveal Duck's growing disappointment and annoyance as his search continues. The drawings are refreshingly simple, letting the text's large font fill the pages in blue and orange colors. This picture book is ideal for sharing as a lap read while also reminding youngsters to make sure not to wander off in strange places. The duck reunion on the last page made me smile, and I also noted the bright orange of the end papers, a color choice fitting for a book about ducks.

[HappyDumplingBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book delighted my preschooler to no end! She was very proud of herself for reading this entire book. It’s a great book for an early reader who has recently learned the letter sounds and wants to have some hilarious practice.

I am always amazed what story telling capabilities exist within a simple 40 page picture book. Simple, and clean pages show Little Duck explore the city looking for Ducks. You certainly don’t need a lot of words to tell a compelling story.

Deborah Underwood and illustrator T.L. McBeth did a phenomenal job keeping clarity and pace in this book!

My only minor quibble was that I had a hard time telling the ducks apart (including the little one. I was temporarily confused on the first page on which duck was lost), but since this book will be requested and read about a billion times due to its hilarity, the story becomes quite clear.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

After getting distracted by a butterfly, a duck can't find the rest of its flock. It follows clues that seem very duck-like, but they don't lead where it suspects. Can this duck ever find its flock?

A quick, fun, humorous little story that ends happily. The vocabulary in this is very simple. It is entirely comprised of the phrases "Ducks?" "No ducks" and sound words. It would be a good book to choose for kids just getting the concept of reading as they should be able to catch on to the pattern and "read" this somewhat. Also a good one to practice learning how punctuation can change how we say a word out loud. And of course, hand this to littles who like funny stories and see if they can predict what will happen next.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little duck follows a butterfly, turning its back on its Duck Family. When the Duck turns back around, his family is gone! And so begins the search ... but it seems that whenever the duck finds a clue, its one that is misleading in some way. Finally, the duck gets the idea to post a sign: Lost Ducks and that’s when the single duck realizes, it might be the one that is missing.

A happy reunion. Adorable. A nearly wordless book (except for Duck and No Duck) that encapsulates a child’s feelings of being separated from their family (fear, hope, anger, sadness and joy - all through the duck’s expressions.)

[Leonard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ducks is such a funny book. The fun thing about this story is that the message is being conveyed to the audience with just a few simple words. Sometimes in the book, you do not need a whole lot of words to tell a story and just a simple few words will get the message across. The colors that were used in this story were very basic, but they seemed just right for this time of the story. This story leaves a good amount of room for interpretation. The lesson of the story is quite clear, just make sure you do not get cut up in the reading to forget about the message being told. This story is one that you have to re-read again and again.

[Naomi Gruer · Rating 5 out of 5]

DUCKS! is adorable and funny! I picked this up at my library to read to my preschool class and, after one reading, my two and three year-old kiddos clamored to hear DUCKS! again. My class got the joke that feathers, footprints, and rubber ducks made it seem like friends were around the corner, but then they weren't. When the main character--Duck-- puts up a "Lost Ducks" sign, he's reunited with his crew. Thanks author Deborah Underwood and illustrator T.L. McBeth for this sweet take on misunderstanding, perseverance, and happy endings!

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read, and very funny! A little duck loses his friends and keeps noticing clues (flippered footprints, feathers, quacking noises, etc). At the turn of every page, though, you realize that the feathers, flippers, sounds, etc were not from a duck, but from something else (a pillow fight, kids wearing flippers, loud instruments, etc). Cute, big illustrations would make this great for storytimes.

[Roben · Rating 4 out of 5]

First there are Ducks. But one duck is distracted by a butterfly and wanders away. When he returns -Oh no! Where did the other ducks go? Duck follows sounds, footprints, flying feathers... will Duck ever find his friends?

This book has lots of simple words and repetition. Also punctuation and fun noises to make if reading it out loud. Young ones will be able to tell you the story on their own very quickly! A good, quick story time read. And reassuring when everyone is reunited at the end.

[Marti · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a hard time understanding this book. It wasn't until the end when I realized the little duck was separated from the family of ducks. The only difference between the little duck and the big ducks is size which doesn't translate when only one duck is on the page for perspective. I think it could have used more words too. I know it's a board book for babies but give them more than "Ducks!" and "No Ducks"

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is adorable. With barely any words, it manages to make me fall in love with the main character, and make my kids laugh out loud. If there's any justice, this book will be a classic for younger children. Clean, clever graphic design and short simple ideas on each page make this ideal for pre-k read-alouds.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A duck who wanders away from the rest of the flock must find the way back.

Ducks. Ducks? NO DUCKS!

Duck wanders away from the pond for a moment and returns to find the other ducks gone! Searching high and low, Duck discovers many clues around the city--footprints, feathers, eggs--but no ducks. Will Duck's feathered friends finally be found?

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny, simple, clever. I loved the illustrations of the main duck when he makes his realizations. Perfect emotions of annoyance and disappointment. One star off because the ending doesn't come as a result of the main duck's final attempt at a solution, so I'm not really sure how he found them in the end.

[Annamarie Carlson (she, her)]

Duck just wants to find some other ducks--but everywhere he looks he can't find any. Feathers, eggs, and squawking all prove to be false clues. Can duck ever find his family?

A simple book with fun repetition of "ducks" and "no ducks" with most of the story being told in the pictures. Good storytime pick.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very few words (ducks/no ducks). Cute story about a lost duck. The main duck is smaller than the other 3 ducks, leading me to scrawl a note to myself about polyamorous ducks. I love this duck's three-parent household and I support them. Interpretations aside, this is an excellent book for an animated storytime/toddlertime.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ducks has lost his other ducks. Where can he find them? He follows all the clues, but will he find them?

This book made me chuckle and the ending was unexpected but heartwarmingly sweet. Read it with your little one and watch their responses to the results of the clues and be ready to laugh together.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grown-up Duck wanders away from their ducklings to look at a butterfly. When they turn back around, the ducklings are gone! They go looking at traces of them only to find a band squawking, a boy in fins, and rubber ducks. It's simple text with only white, black, blue, and orange illustrations for a nice bold contrast that works well with a large group storytime. Also, it's ducks.

[Kate M. Colby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack borrowed this book from the Oxford Public Library. I picked it because he loves ducks.

Some of the illustrations held his interest, but I had to embellish and build on the book a bit to get him engaged. I think he's just a little old for it, and the low-word style hasn't really suited him outside of Goodnight, Gorilla.

[Vincent Vega · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Ducks!" by Deborah Underwood is a good children's book. It shows a mama duck looking for her ducklings but getting misled along the way. The misunderstandings the mama duck goes through are quite funny. However, seeing her sadness also draws the reader in, as you feel for her and want her to find the ducklings. All around, a solid, fun read, and I would recommend it.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute story about a duck missing his other ducks. He thinks he has found them, but those feathers are from a pillow and that egg hatches something else. It is a book kids will love as they think they found them, but find it is not quite yet.

[Meredith · Rating 2 out of 5]

A duck searches for his flock from whom he has been separated.

The story also introduces the concept of same and different.

The text is short, simple, and well suited to beginning readers. The illustrations are done with bold black outlines on white space.

[Rebecca Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a hilarious and adorable storytime winner for older toddlers and preschool kids. The cartoon illustrations perfectly match the often ridiculous struggles of this little duck who has lost his family.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A toddler friendly story about the littlest duck who wanders off chasing a butterfly and then searches comically for his family. Large, expressive full-page illustrations and sparse text will make this a fun read aloud for preschoolers.